Ms.Kristin"Kristin"Smith

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Class Of

1994

Biography

That moment a child finally puts all the pieces together to make sense of a book in his or her hands is a powerful one, and one that I am lucky enough to see on a regular basis.

I think I always knew I wanted to “grow up” to be a teacher. Whether that was because of the example many family members who were teachers set (my mother, my grandmother, an aunt, and an older cousin) or the fact that I had wonderful teachers who worked hard to understand who I was as student, I cannot say. However, I went off to college knowing that I wanted to leave with a teaching degree. After receiving an undergrad degree in elementary education with a specialization in early childhood and reading from Baylor University, I decided to go right back to school, but a little closer to home. I completed my master's in curriculum and instruction at the Curry School at The University of Virginia. While completing the last few hours of my master’s program, I moved back home to Fairfax County and worked at The Potomac School as a Lower School intern. It was an amazing experience for me, and teaching alongside such a caring, creative, and dedicated faculty made it hard to leave at the end of the year. After teaching first grade at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School for three years, I was thrilled to be able to return to Potomac, where I have been teaching first grade since 2003. I feel so lucky to be a part of the Potomac community and to spend my days watching my young students learn to read, write, and problem solve. That moment a child finally puts all the pieces together to make sense of a book in his or her hands is a powerful one, and one that I am lucky enough to see on a regular basis. I can’t think of anything else that I would rather do.

When I’m not at school, I’m busy reading, spending time with friends, visiting my sister and her two adorable boys in Georgia, visiting my parents in Charlottesville where I often have the opportunity to catch a football or basketball game, and spending time on or near the water. I also enjoy skiing – both water skiing and snow skiing – and having been doing both since I was a first grader!